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Public Relations

MS-1

Assignment #2

By

Saad Saleem
To
Miss Fatima Jahanzeb

HYPODERMIC NEEDLE THEORY


Definition
The Bullet Theory holds that the mass media are so powerful that they can shoot or inject their
messages straight into the viewers head. The passive viewers (referred to collectively as the
masses) are immediately influenced by the message.
Explanation
This theory is about the mass media and its growing influencing power over the general public. Its an
impulsive way to inject ideas and built biasness in the perception of an ordinary man. The term passive
viewers used in the above definition is collectively referred to the general masses that are less educated
in other words who can easily be manipulated through negative positioning. It is very difficult for the
passive viewers to escape this media influences and therefore they are considered to be the sitting ducks.
The public is vulnerable to these messages shot at them because of the limited communication tools and
the studies of the media's effects on the masses at the time. It means the media explores information in
such a way that it injects in the mind of audiences as bullets.
The hypodermic needle communication theory is about media effects or medias influence of how
individual think and behave. The phrase hypodermic needle is meant to give a mental image of direct,
strategic and planned infusion of a massage into an individual but as research methodology became more
highly developed it became apparent that media had selective influences on people.

Hypodermic needle theory and the Internet


If we talk about the mass media influence back in times we will only come up with the few major
mediums like Newspaper, radio stations and television. The channel of information and thought sharing
has evolved when the internet came into the play with some exciting social websites and applications.
Now people spent more time in reading stuff online rather than reading detailed newspapers and now we
have facebook and tweeter which are one of the most widely used applications worldwide that has the
instant methods for sharing thoughts and updating ideas. Back in the old days television was regarded as
one of the instant source for communicating and updating people and but now people are spending less
time watching television and mostly consider television for watching movies and other entertainment

stuff. The social media works in a chain formation manner where information travels from person to
person in a very short span of time.
If you talks about media influence through internet we will find our self with number of examples like
internet meme which is used to explain concepts spread via internet. To spread the idea propagated
through World Wide Web in various forms like hyperlinks, video, picture, website, hash tags. It may also
spread from person to person via social networks, blogs, direct mail, news sources, or other web base
sources. The idea may stay the same or may evolve over time by chance or through commentary,
imitations, and parody or by incorporating news accounts by itself. On the other side the use of this
concept is very popular in public relations, advertising and marketing professionals have embraced
internet memes as the form of viral marketing and guerilla marketing to create marketing buzz for the
product/services as Internet memes are seen as cost effective.
Some mass media influences that are common in practice
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Media biasness
News propaganda
Sensationalism
Complex influences
Indirect cultural propaganda

Now the mediums are big so the influence will also be big having the tendency to effects millions through
a single circulated massage. People are now taking interest in sharing stuff with friends and family even
if they are living miles apart from one another. Now it is very easy to trigger any propaganda or inject
false news because now the medium works in a viral way and people dont bothered to go into the details
of what they are sharing with their fellows.
What we can do to prevent our self from such a mass media menace?
The drawback of these mass media development for me is the approach of the people which is
changing rapidly and people are just relying on the patches of information rather than the complete
detailed understanding/knowledge (rely on knowledge not on information). Now it is very easy to
manipulate people via false information. Now people judge you through your face book and linked in
profiles and form their opinion about you. Now it is very easy to debate through different social media
forums. I am sure if we study and enhance our knowledge before forming any judgmental opinion about
anything we can prevent ourselves for been fooled and manipulated.

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